Six months after a deadly house explosion tore through Turner Road, neighbors rocked by the blast want someone held accountable. Six residents of Turner Road and Marion Road Extension have sued the estate of David Kupris, who intentionally blew up his girlfriend’s Scituate house by dousing it in gasoline and releasing the natural gas cap, according to a report by State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan.

Kaitlin Keane

Six months after a deadly house explosion tore through Turner Road, neighbors rocked by the blast want someone held accountable.

Six residents of Turner Road and Marion Road Extension have sued the estate of David Kupris, who intentionally blew up his girlfriend’s Scituate house by dousing it in gasoline and releasing the natural gas cap, according to a report by State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan.

They have also sued Bay State Gas Co., which they claim did not respond properly to a neighbor’s call reporting a strong odor of gas near the home.

The Dec. 17 blast killed Kupris, 45, and leveled the home of Kimberly Chubbuck, who was at work at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth at the time.

But neighbors say it also wreaked havoc on the quiet neighborhood, injuring several residents, including two teenagers, and destroying three surrounding homes. At least 20 other homes were damaged.

Now neighbors say they are stuck with the lingering effects of Kupris’ “intentional act,” including physical and emotional damage to their families and the financial burden of rebuilding their houses.

“My house is lost, my health is lost, and everything is coming out of my pocket,” said John Galluzzo, who was home at the time of the blast and still copes with injuries suffered that day.

Like many of his neighbors, he is also in the process of repairing serious structural damage to his home.

Gary MacKinnon, who lived directly behind Chubbuck, said his family has been forever changed by the explosion.

His wife and three children were left homeless when the blast destroyed their Marion Road Extension home.

MacKinnon’s 17-year-old daughter had just returned from school when the blast occurred. She was thrown across the room and nearly killed by the blast, which continues to affect her today, he said. The family also struggles financially as they rent a home in Scituate while rebuilding their house.

MacKinnon said the group of plaintiffs feels empathy for Kupris’ family, including twin boys and a college-age daughter, but that someone needs to be held accountable for the damage done to their lives.

“Had David Kupris survived that explosion, he would have faced the stigma of being a convicted felon and going to prison,” he said. “But he had no intention of surviving that.”

“Since I can’t face him in a criminal court (to) ask ‘why,’ this is what we have to do,” MacKinnon said.

Kupris’ family has vehemently denied the findings of the fire marshal, saying the father of three would have never put others in danger. John Kupris, his brother, said Sunday that the family had no further comment.

Don DiNunno, a spokesman for Bay State Gas, said the company declined to comment on ongoing litigation.

Dino Colucci, the Milton attorney representing the neighbors, said the lawsuit will seek answers in a case in which they have been hard to get. Getting more information about the investigation and its findings will help neighbors find accountability for damages, he said.

“They don’t have answers now,” Colucci said. “We’ll follow the trail where it leads and hold accountable those who should be held accountable.”

Lifestyle

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